Could philanthropist Honey Sherman been a collateral victim in such a plot?

Instead of a murder-suicide or double suicide, could the couple — worth nearly $4.8 billion — have been victims of a ransom play?

Former Toronto Police homicide detective Tom Klatt has been hired by the Sherman’s children to look into all out-of-the-box possibilities.

“I can confirm that my firm has been retained; however, I am not yet ready to provide any interviews,” Klatt said politely in an e-mail.

He is a great detective. Very professional. Very smart.

Tommy Klatt (klattinvestigations.com)

Legendary lawyer Brian Greenspan — brought in by the Sherman family, which rejects suggestions of suicide or murder-suicide — said he “retained a number of experts, including Tom Klatt and several distinguished former homicide investigators, to provide a second lens and to ensure that no stone is left unturned.”

Certainly, to be fair, Toronto Police are already hard at work with that as a goal. This is one of the largest homicide investigations, in terms of resources, in Toronto’s history even though it has not been deemed a homicide.

Barry, 75, and his wife Honey, 70, were found hanging in their York Mills home on Old Colony Rd. on Dec. 15. Toronto Police originally said they were not looking for any suspects, and sources told the Toronto Sun the working theory was that it was a murder-suicide.

Police have been extremely thorough. The roof of the Sherman’s 12,000-square-foot mansion has been behind yellow tape since Dec. 15.

It has been surveyed with the help of a Toronto Fire ladder and bucket. The storm sewers have been swept, as has every inch of the home with modern forensic equipment.

The vehicles were removed and surveillance equipment in the house and neighbourhood has been secured. Sources also say there was a primary, or perhaps, secondary scene inside the home which has also been studied.

Needless to say the Sherman children remain upset at how this has been depicted.

“Our parents never left anyone behind,” said the Sherman’s son, Jonathon, passionately at their funeral. “They were taken from us.”

The strong view the Shermans were murdered led to the family complaining to Mayor John Tory. His office said Thursday the civic leader did relay their concerns to Chief Mark Saunders.

“The mayor spoke with the Sherman family by phone and at the memorial service,” said Tory spokesman Don Peat. “It is not unusual for the mayor to talk to relatives of those who have been killed or injured in the city to offer condolences and to hear their concerns, if any.”

What is unusual is to have those concerns expressed to police. That said, there is nothing usual about this curious case.

Said Peat: “He conveyed those concerns dispassionately and did not make any requests of police, but simply relayed their concerns about communication of information.”

With or without political influences, throwing every resource possible at this puzzling case was the right call. There are so many questions unanswered and this has to be done right.

There is so much that remains unknown. But what is known is that Barry and Honey died of “ligature neck compression.”

The Shermans were found hanging with men’s belts around their necks in the pool area of their mansion. They were in a sitting position with their legs out straight. Sources describe them has having jackets pulled down over their arms and pulled behind their backs.

Its a head scratcher.

Toronto Police officers have worked around the clock on this since the first day. The family hiring a pathologist to conduct a second autopsy and bringing in Klatt — a veteran of 70 homicide probes — adds more intrigue into an already intriguing matter.

Certainly, if Barry Sherman was victim of a contract hit, if Honey Sherman was in the wrong place at the wrong time — or if it was a kidnapping attempt that went horribly wrong — Toronto Police detectives will uncover that evidence.

But if something was ever missed, Klatt is definitely a great investigator with the skills to discover it.

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